


I am both war and woman (and you cannot stop me)

by theladyofcamelias



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, House Lannister, Marriage Proposal, Mentions of genocide, Period-Typical Sexism, Pre-Series, Reyne-Tarbeck rebellion, The two are intertwined of course, because they’re Lannisters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21990814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theladyofcamelias/pseuds/theladyofcamelias
Summary: Tywin and Joanna have a private chat in the gardens.The title is from a poem by Nikita Gill called “An Ode to Fearless Women”.
Relationships: Joanna Lannister/Tywin Lannister
Comments: 1
Kudos: 38





	I am both war and woman (and you cannot stop me)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [joannalannister (tywinning)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tywinning/gifts).



When Joanna was a little girl, she used to dream of going to Casterly Rock. The giant halls, the golden statues, the richly embroidered dresses and a thousand more things that were not present at Lannisport. All of her dreams came true the day her Uncle Tytos sent a letter, asking for her and her brother to come foster at Casterly Rock.

Casterly Rock turned out to be...chaotic. Under Lady Jeyne’s rule it used to be organized chaos. Like a well-oiled machine. The servants could always be seen attending to their various duties, the serving girls were kept in line, the guard were always alert, and no one would have dared be seen lounging around doing nothing, lest they incur her wrath.

So much had changed, she thought disdainfully as she glared at a couple of serving girls who were gossiping under the shade of a nearby tree. They bowed quickly and scurried along, no doubt to gossip under a stairwell. The whore her Uncle Tytos had established as his lady was inadequate, to say the least. She was crude, which was to be expected due to her birth and profession, but still, even serving girls knew to hold their tongues when in the presence of a lion. _When I am Lady of Casterly Rock I shall not let this stand_ , she thought.

And she would be Lady of Casterly Rock, she had decided that as soon as Aerys draped a Targaryen cloak over his sister’s shoulders, making her a Targaryen twice over. She had been fuming during the entire ceremony, yet she had managed to smile warmly and congratulate the newly wed couple on their wedding.They were weak-willed and feeble, the both of them. All the better for her to manipulate them. The influence she wielded at court would be considerable with both the king and queen in her pocket, and with a husband like Tywin she would be unstoppable.

She holds her skirts carefully as she makes her way to a secluded spot in the gardens. Tywin was waiting for her, standing as straight as an arrow. He was dressed formally, with all the pomp and ceremony that would be expected for a meeting with the queen herself. She was dressed more simply, yet she knew she was striking. The gown she was wearing had been gifted to her by Tywin himself. It was a vibrant green, almost the shade of her eyes, with so much golden embroidery as to make the gown ludicrously expensive. It would take a serving girl two years to save up to buy this outfit. And that was if you ignored the chain of pearls she wore around her neck, and the golden hair pin with an emerald the size of a a grape.

He turns around when he hears her coming, his spine straitening even more. 

“Lady Joanna.” He kisses her hand, his lips surprisingly warm. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

“Come now my lord, how could I ever refuse you?”

To a casual observer, it would seem that his face scarcely moved, but she knew better. The left corner of his mouth twitched just a little, and his eyes gleamed with amusement for a few seconds. This, she had learned, was Tywin’s equivalent of laughter.

“My lady, I am afraid I have grievous news.”

She raises an eyebrow.

“Lord Tarbeck and Lord Reyne have refused to repay their loans to our house. They hold several members of our family hostage, and have asked for more to be sent to them ‘as a symbol of friendship’.”

Joanna’s face turnes scarlet, her lips pinched tightly in fury.

“And? What shall our response be?”

Tywin presses his lips together so hard they nearly disappeared altogether.

“My father wishes to comply with their wishes.”

His voice was hard as iron, and she could tell that it physically pained him to say those words.

“That would be an unacceptable weakness.” Her voice was as cold as the Wall itself, as fury coursed like wildfire in her veins. “This would be the end of House Lannister. We will find ourselves at the mercy of our vassals.”

She turnes to look him in the eyes, emerald eyes meeting emerald eyes.

“But you know this already. You are not a fool my lord. What shall _you_ do about it?”

“Lord Reyne’s letter was all but a declaration of war. And I intend to respond in kind. I’ve sent letters to our bannermen. It should take no more than a month for them to come to Casterly Rock. And then we shall deal with them appropriately.”

“Take care my lord,” she warns him, “blood feuds are messy.”

He frowns, as though he is disappointed in her.

“I shall deal with them as is fit. My father is their liege lord they should not be sending him commands.” His voice was frosty, terse, and she could clearly see a vein pulsing in his neck

“You misunderstand me, my lord. I am not urging you to be merciful. I am merely warning you about the dangers of blood feuds.”

“The how should I deal with them Lady Joanna?”

“Kill them all.” She says nonchalantly. “Destroy their house root and stem. Leave no woman or child alive that may one day take up arms against us. We cannot have a blood feud with House Reyne and House Tarbeck if there is no House Reyne or Tarbeck.”

They stand there in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Tywin smiled. Not a twitch of the lips, not a gleam in his eyes. No, this was an honest-to-gods smile.

“You are vicious my lady.” Somehow it sounded like the sweetest compliment when he said it.

She smiles innocently.

“My septa always told me the punishment should fit the crime. Soon the whole world will know what befalls people who you incur a lion’s wrath.”

He steps closer to her, his hands carefully enveloping hers. They were trembling slightly, passion coursing through his veins, his eyes full of lust. _He wants me_ , she realizes. She had known that of course, but it was nice to have it confirmed right in front of her. He wouldn’t do anything about it now though. Tywin was many things but he was not the type of man who would ever risk being caught with his breaches down in the middle of the gardens. And that was why she stepped closer to him and ran her hand down the side of his face, caressing his cheek lightly.

She would never have done this with Aerys when he was in such a state of lust, lest he take it upon himself to rape her on the spot. When Aerys’ eyes were full of lust for her, she would act demurely, bat her eyelashes and excuse herself quickly. Somehow it only made his lust for her grow into a wild unkept beast. Tywin was different, he would never dare show such a weakness publicly, his lust was kept carefully under lock and key.

Suddenly he sinks on his knees in front of her, like a supplicant asking for a blessing in a sept. She feels some unnamable emotion at the sight that she refused to call love. Here he was, the proud Tywin Lannister, on his knees in front of her where anyone could see him.

“When I return, Lady Joanna, will you be my wife?”

She knew he would ask her, but still, the question surprised her. She had thought he would wait until he had at least partially restored his ruined house.

“That will depend entirely upon your success my lord. I am not in the habit of giving my hand in marriage to men who are incapable of keeping to their words.”

He smiles ruefully.

“No I suppose you are not.” He looked up at her. “In that case my lady I shall ride swiftly. I will deal with these rebelling houses myself and show them why it is unwise to anger a Lannister.”

_I want to go with you_ , she almost says. And she does. She doesn’t want to fight, not really, she’s not stupid enough to want to die on a battlefield. But then again neither is Tywin. She could just as easily command from the tent as him, come up with battle strategies, negotiate with the enemy. But that was not how it worked, and Tywin was too much of a Westerman to ever allow a lady, let alone one he planned to make his wife, near a battlefield. This will have to do for now, she told herself.

He was still on his knees, looking at her with fervor. She would rule through him. He would rule the realm, but she would rule him.

“I will fix this my lady.” He swore. “Tomorrow, I shall ride forth and destroy the Reynes and the Tarbecks. I will fix the damage my father has done to our house I swear it.”

“And I will fix Casterly Rock for you.” She promises. “I will restore it to its former glory.” _Since I am not allowed to fix anything else_ , she adds silently

He smiles.

“You shall be a wonderful Lady of Casterly Rock. Much like my mother was.”

She can not remember when Tywin’s voice had ever sounded so warm, when he had smiled so brightly.

“I shall pray for your swift victory then.” She narrows her eyes at him. “If you fail I shall be most displeased.” _If you die I would be most heartbroken_ , she does not say.

“I will not fail you my lady. I will not allow our house to be so disrespected. I swear on my devotion to you that as long as I live no one shall make a mockery of House Lannister.”

“Should you not be swearing on the maiden instead?”

“Why would I? When there is a far lovelier vision in front of my eyes?”

She cannot help but blush, as he kisses her hand reverently, worshipfully. She presses the palm of the hand he just kissed on his cheek, her thumb caressing his cheekbone lightly.

She pulls him to his feet and he staggers up, keeping her hands between his, gripping them tightly.

“Joanna...” he mutters.

He shakes his head, as though go clear his thoughts.

“I will speak to my father tomorrow.”

She laughs.

“He will not refuse you. Do not worry. He likes me well enough, and I doubt he could impose his will over yours.”

He frowns a little, as always when reminded with his father’s weakness. 

“You are not like him. Prove it to the world.”

She steps closer to him and whispers:

“Don’t let anybody laugh at our children.”

He hisses as though he was just burned, his fingers tighten their grip on her arm not enough to be painful, but enough to be felt acutely. 

She kisses him then, roughly, possessively, her teeth biting his lower lip as her tongue finds its way into his mouth. He lets her, letting out a half-strangled groan as her teeth draw blood from his lips. She laps the droplets up, the taste metallic and bitter on her tongue. His hands squeeze her hips tightly, holding her flush against him. He was hard against her, she could feel it. She presses against him just a little and he moaned in her mouth like he was in the sweetest kind of pain.

She pulls away from him firmly and takes a good look at him. His hair is slightly disheveled, his face is flushed and there is a small wound on his lip from where she bit him. He looks like he has just been ravished. There is still blood on her lips and in her mouth from where she kissed him. Suddenly she wants to mark him again, to possess him like he possesses everyone else.

“Kill them all. Let them hear us roar.” She murmurs, her forehead touching his, her mouth bloody, the coppery taste of blood overtaking her senses,

“I will crush them. And then we shall wed.”

“And then we shall wed.”

The sea crashes on the cliffs so loud it seems like they are roaring. And for the first time in a very long time, Joanna feels like a lion again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everybody! This fic written for was written for @joannalannister for the GOT & ASOIAF secret Santa event. I’ve never written for this pairing before so I hope the dynamic between Tywin and Joanna isn’t off. I know you’re this ship’s number one fan so I really hope you like it. Happy Holidays to everyone and a Happy New Year’s!


End file.
